Ludger walked at the front of Seorn’s main building corridor, with Yekaterina by his side.

Behind them, the escorts of the Yuta Kingdom followed slowly.

The ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) students turned curious eyes toward the unusual procession passing by.

Especially Yekaterina, with hair as white as snow, drew their gazes and attention easily.

“Who is she? She’s incredibly beautiful.”

“Look at her escorts. They all look like knights. Isn’t she royalty?”

“I think I heard about her once. Isn’t she the Queen of the Yuta Kingdom? Her appearance is just like the rumors.”

“That’s Ludger-sensei next to her... do the two of them know each other?”

The students watching from afar whispered among themselves.

But most of them quickly settled with an unsurprised reaction.

If someone else had been guiding a queen of a foreign kingdom, they would have indulged in endless speculation about what it meant.

But if the one in question was Ludger Cherish?

“Well, if it’s Ludger-sensei, that makes sense.”

That was the extent of their conclusions.

Up until now, Ludger had shown himself capable of handling such a role.

On top of that, the sight of him walking side by side with Yekaterina strangely suited him.

The usually cold and stoic Ludger Cherish and Yekaterina, who wore a mask much like him, looked like a fitting pair in some sense.

Before long, they arrived at the Headmaster’s office. Ludger knocked lightly on the door.

“This is Ludger Cherish. I’ve brought the guest.”

“Please, come in.”

With permission, the door opened on its own.

Ludger led Yekaterina inside.

The escorts remained outside.

This was not a conversation meant for many ears.

Headmaster Elisa Willow greeted Yekaterina with a polite smile.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Queen Yekaterina. I am Elisa Willow, Headmaster of Seorn.”

“I’m glad to meet you as well. I am Yekaterina Volsbaya, Queen of the Yuta Kingdom.”

Yekaterina returned the greeting with the etiquette of royalty she had drilled into herself.

Ludger quietly observed the two women.

To an outsider, it might have looked like a suffocating meeting between two figures at the top. But to someone who knew the truth, it was a bit different.

‘No matter how I see it, that fool of a queen is going to be overwhelmed.’

Yekaterina wore a mask, but Elisa’s was different.

Yekaterina’s mask was a desperate show of strength to hide her weakness. Elisa’s was the opposite—calm, steady, reassuring, as if to keep her counterpart from being too frightened.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing, and a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

That perfectly described their relationship.

‘Not that I can step in to help.’

Ludger was a teacher at Seorn. If he had to take anyone’s side, it would be the Headmaster’s.

Besides, this was the moment for Yekaterina to prove herself as a queen.

As the leader of the Yuta Kingdom, this was a trial she had to face personally.

If he handled it for her, it would only insult her.

‘Honestly, it’s strange that I’m even staying in this room.’

Yet Elisa hadn’t told him to leave.

On the contrary, she seemed to want him to stay—curious about why he had a connection with the Queen of Yuta in the first place.

Without him, Yekaterina wouldn’t have come to Seorn and met the Headmaster at this time.

In a sense, this meeting was made possible entirely because of Ludger.

Staying to listen was just a continuation of that.

“Her Majesty said she wished to speak with me about natural resource mining, correct?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Hehehe. Excellent.”

Elisa let out a low laugh.

Yekaterina stiffened instantly.

This was a business discussion.

Letting her guard down for even a moment would mean being outmaneuvered before she knew it.

“We are positively considering the matter. But as you know, in such discussions, it’s always easier if the ‘limits’ are clearly set.”

“Yes. I agree.”

“Then let’s determine those limits now, shall we? And... negotiate properly.”

The suffocating battle of wits was about to begin.

* * *

Three hours later.

When they finally stepped out, Elisa Willow wore a broad, satisfied smile.

“Mmm. Good. It seems we’ve found terms that are acceptable to both sides.”

“...That’s a relief.”

Yekaterina’s voice was half-exhausted.

Though her mask still hid her expression, Ludger, who knew her, could see how tired she was.

‘She’s grown.’

Even just watching from the side had been draining.

He couldn’t imagine how tiring it had been for Yekaterina herself.

Yet she still maintained the resolute image she showed to the outside world.

Her insides might be worn down, but hiding it at all was admirable.

‘And despite neither side conceding, she managed to find common ground that brought her benefit. If we must call a victor, it’s the Headmaster—but only by the smallest margin. In the end, it was win–win.’

Seorn would provide technology, information, and expertise for mining, and in return would receive a portion of the extracted resources.

Without Seorn’s support, the resources would be useless—unmined treasures.

The terms were fair and beneficial for both.

“Now then, this isn’t business-related, but I do have a personal question.”

Elisa curved her eyes in a crescent moon smile, looking between Yekaterina and Ludger.

“How did you two come to know each other?”

“Uh... well, that is...”

Yekaterina’s mask cracked for the first time.

Of all things, to ask about her relationship with Ludger in such a setting—

Ludger clicked his tongue inwardly.

Showing that much surprise only made it obvious something was going on.

And Elisa was sharp enough to catch it.

“We met at Mystic Night. To repair a collapsed leyline, we joined forces.”

“Hm. Is that so? Even so, I didn’t expect Her Majesty to visit Seorn herself afterward.”

“As I recall, I already explained that matter to you.”

“You did. But I thought some finer details might be worth clarifying.”

“There are no finer details. Everything was explained then.”

“Is that so?”

The flow of conversation shifted to Ludger and Elisa, with Yekaterina reduced to silently listening in nervous tension.

‘They... they’re not giving each other an inch!’

The sparks between Ludger and Elisa were almost visible.

Ludger, she could understand—he was always like that.

But the Headmaster of Seorn, whom she had just met, was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

‘No wonder she’s his superior here!’

In Yekaterina’s eyes, Elisa Willow was Ludger’s boss—his obvious superior as a teacher at Seorn.

Of course, his real superior was Princess Aileen.

While Yekaterina entertained her mistaken assumptions, the duel of words between Ludger and Elisa went on.

At last, Elisa surrendered with a sigh.

“Honestly. You really won’t give an inch, will you?”

“There has to be something worth conceding first.”

Even her final jab was countered instantly, and Elisa puffed her cheeks slightly like a sulking child.

Wow.

Yekaterina found herself quietly amazed at how effortlessly Ludger handled the woman who had made her sweat and struggle.

‘He doesn’t yield even to his boss. Admirable!’

She resolved to use that same strength one day—before realizing in despair that she was already the highest authority in her own kingdom.

“Hmph. Fine. If you don’t want to talk, then forget it.”

Elisa waved them out.

Since the business was concluded, Ludger and Yekaterina exchanged brief farewells and left the Headmaster’s office.

Rejoining her waiting escorts outside, Yekaterina turned to Ludger.

“Could you perhaps show me around Seorn?”

“What would you like to see?”

“All of it. Someday, it’s my dream to establish such an educational institution in our Yuta Kingdom as well.”

“An educational institution, hm.”

Ludger respected Yekaterina’s thinking.

Educational facilities were essential for a nation’s future.

If every citizen with magical talent left for Seorn, the chances of them returning to their homeland afterward were not high.

Noble students might be bound by family obligations to return, but commoners were not tied down in the same way.

In effect, it was a kind of talent drain.

That was why many nations had built universities, magic academies, or knightly academies to cultivate their own people.

Seorn was the most famous and advanced of these institutions, but it was not the only one.

The Yuta Kingdom, however, had almost none.

Even the few that had once existed had been burned away by the civil war.

Now they were in the middle of rebuilding—but Yekaterina intended to go further than mere restoration.

“I plan not just to rebuild, but to expand on a larger scale. To do that, I believe one must look to a role model and learn.”

“Copying alone won’t guarantee success.”

Other nations had tried the same, yet Seorn still held the top position.

That was because imitation alone was never enough.

“True. But if you only expect failure, then you’ll never attempt anything.”

“...That’s also true.”

To an outsider, her words might have sounded unrealistic or idealistic.

But Yekaterina had won a civil war with that same mindset.

She had overturned a hopelessly disadvantageous war.

The refusal to give up.

The relentless steps toward what others deemed impossible.

And in that frozen land, what burned most brightly was the hottest heart.

“It will go well.”

That was all Ludger could offer.

Yekaterina widened her eyes, then smiled softly.

“If I do succeed in founding one, then I’ll invite you in return.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

* * *

Sedina had gone out into Rederbelk on business.

Given that she had been tailed last time, it would have been wiser to lay low. But she stepped outside anyway—because she had someone reliable at her side.

“Yaaawn.”

The tanned man with his arms folded behind his head yawned loudly, looking for all the world like some vagrant loitering on the street.

But in truth, he was Alex, one of Owens’s executives.

His outward appearance was that of an idler, but Alex was an exceptional knight.

And today, he was Sedina’s bodyguard.

“You didn’t need to come along for this...”

“Orders from the leader. Besides, it won’t take long, right?”

“...But I heard you recently grasped something close to reaching the next stage. Aren’t you busy?”

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

After his fight with Lutus, Alex had reached a wall—and was on the verge of breaking through.

But he hadn’t quite crossed it yet, and for now he was taking things at a slower pace.

“More importantly, someone’s following us.”

He muttered it low enough that only Sedina could hear.

Her instinct was to whip her head around to check, but she suppressed it with effort.

“Oh, not bad. You didn’t give yourself away.”

“...Is there really a tail? I don’t feel anything this time.”

“Yeah. I’m sure. Last time you said there were quite a few, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“This time it’s different. Just one. And... their skill is high. If I hadn’t been focusing, even I would’ve missed it.”

“...That much?”

“Looks like they realized ordinary thugs couldn’t catch you, so they sent a real pro.”

Alex frowned slightly.

Sedina looked at him anxiously.

“What should we do?”

“If I stay close, they won’t make a move. But leaving such an irritating tail alone isn’t great either.”

“...Then what about capturing them instead?”

“Capturing? And how?”

“I’ll separate and head somewhere deserted. Like a park. They’ll have to react.”

“Pretty blatant. They’ll notice you’re baiting them.”

“They’re skilled. Even if they realize it, they’ll think this is their only chance and go for it.”

“Force them to act even though they know it’s a trap, huh.”

Alex let out a short laugh.

“Clever.”

“Yes. So—”

“But no. My job is to keep you safe. If I don’t, the leader will have my head.”

“Then...”

“And you haven’t realized it yet, but the pursuer... is using a spirit.”

“A spirit?”

Sedina’s eyes widened—she hadn’t expected that.

So she was still a rookie after all. Alex thought so inwardly as he nodded.

“Whoever it is, they’re handling spirits while tailing you. That’s never a good sign.”

“Then what do we do?”

“For now, we’ll head to a shop.”

He led her into a nearby restaurant.

It had three floors, and though it looked ordinary, it was actually one of Owens’s safehouses—staffed with capable agents.

“Sit here like you’re waiting for food.”

“And you, Alex-sunbae...?”

“I’ll bring our guest back.”

They sat deliberately by the window, making themselves visible.

Alex excused himself as if to use the restroom.

Sedina played along, pretending to study the menu.

She didn’t feel the gaze—but since Alex had said it, there had to be someone.

For now, her role was to act unaware.

Meanwhile, Alex blended into the crowd, erasing his presence as he hunted the hunter.

‘I can feel it... faint, but there.’

Traces so subtle he might once have missed them.

But after his fight with Lutus, his senses had been sharpened.

And soon, in a side alley, Alex spotted someone cloaked in a robe.